About

According to data from the European Environment Agency (EEA, 2025), more than 94% of the urban population in the EU is occasionally exposed to concentrations of fine particulate matter in the air (PM₂.₅) that exceed the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021). As part of the project, we will identify locations of interest, especially locations of intense kinesiological activity, where we will measure concentrations of fine particles with short measurement intervals (<10 min). We will determine the chemical composition of these particles and identify new compounds in the composition of atmospheric particulate matter, and we will also investigate the connection between particle concentration and meteorological conditions. In addition, we will focus on ultra-small particles (PM0.1), for which, primarily due to technological challenges, there is still not enough measurement and data, especially detailed chemical characterization. Also, our research is focused on recreational zones (and not on roads or industrial parts of the city, or the urban area as a homogeneous whole, as in much of the research), which represents an additional contribution to the research area. We will also conduct research on the impact and personal experience of the importance of air pollution in everyday life and health, primarily in selected locations, among the kinesiologically active population.

According to a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA, 2023), the ecological status of EU coastal waters is assessed as “less than good” in 62% of cases, often due to pressures from aquaculture, tourism and urbanization. At the same time, WHO and FAO (Codex Alimentarius) emphasize the importance of monitoring the chemical and microbiological quality of seawater in food growing zones, in order to protect public health and preserve marine ecosystems. Therefore, as part of the project, we will analyze the available series of physical, chemical and biological parameters measured in the Krka estuary, and identify the parameters that have the greatest impact on aquaculture. We will develop a circulation model in the estuary. We will also create a platform prototype with built-in instruments for monitoring the state of the sea column in real time, with the possibility of warning of events that may negatively affect marine ecosystems.

Air and sea pollution negatively affects both the environment and health and is associated with reproductive disorders (Kumar and Singh, 2022) and fetal developmental disorders (Ward et al., 2025). Many pollutants act as endocrine disruptors and cause oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction (Reddam et al., 2022). In this project, for the first time, we will experimentally link specific pollutants identified in air and sea with a targeted biological analysis of their effect on spermatogenesis cells and placental trophoblasts, with a focus on mitochondrial biology and cellular mechanisms of early development. Metabolically active spermatogenic cells and placental trophoblasts are particularly sensitive to such influences; dysfunction of mitophagy – the process of removing damaged mitochondria – can lead to subfertility and placental development disorders in them (Wang et al., 2023). The project introduces an innovative transdisciplinary approach that connects environmental analytics, toxicology and reproductive biology with advanced molecular analyses at the gene, transcriptomic, epigenetic and protein levels.

Additionally, the innovation of the project is manifested in the application of robust RNA-seq analysis for the detection of transcriptomic changes induced by environmental stressors, as well as in the analysis of the methylation profile of selected genes – with the aim of mapping regulatory changes associated with environmental exposure.

This multilevel analysis will allow us to gain insight into the complex network of epigenetic and transcriptional responses in the context of mitochondrial dysfunction and reproductive health. Project activities in this part will focus on understanding how pollutants affect reproductive potential and early embryonic development. We will investigate the impact of new compounds in the composition of atmospheric particulate matter on health, potentially expanding the number of compounds of interest, which is crucial for the prevention and protection of public health with the aim of establishing a new scientific link between environmental toxicology and reproductive biology, with an emphasis on mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy and epigenetic regulation as key response mechanisms.

One of the requirements of the curricular reform in the Republic of Croatia is to create a better correlation between teaching subjects. In addition to the subject curricula, the National Curriculum Framework also contains curricula for cross-curricular topics (Use of Information and Communication Technology, Health, Sustainable Development, Personal and Social Development, Entrepreneurship, Civic Education, and Learning to Learn). As part of the project, we will investigate the current state of teaching selected subjects (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology) and the treatment of cross-curricular topics, and develop manuals for teachers and tutors as an aid in cross-curricular teaching. The importance of introducing cross-curricular topics in education has been investigated, for example, by Bakker et al. (2021), who in 2019 and 2020 surveyed researchers dealing with mathematics education issues on research topics that should be addressed in the future: the necessity of connecting sustainability issues in relation to the goals of mathematics education was emphasized.